THE first Dassault Falcon 7X has flown from the French factory at Bordeaux to Little Rock in Arkansas, USA for completion.

In a rare example of French-American cooperation, all Falcon 7X aircraft will be completed at Little Rock, Dassault's largest facility in the world with 1800 employees.

"Little Rock has been preparing for this moment since the Falcon 7X program was
announced in 2001," said John Rosanvallon, head of Dassault Falcon.

"We've increased employment, enlarged our production facility and are evaluating further increases to accommodate the unprecedented demand for all Falcon aircraft but particularly the Falcon 7X."

Certification by EASA and the FAA of the fly-by-wire three-engine business jet is expected early in 2007. More than 125 of the aircraft are on order, with 40 already under construction.

W: www.dassaultfalcon.com